Ditched the boss and the office. Now I’m … lonely.

By Jeremy Porter

Freelancers live a charmed life. The working in pajamas, hanging out in cafes, not feeling guilty for not being in the office. It’s true — that stuff is great. But there’s a less visible, harder side.

For many of us, the freelance life is a lonely one. Most gigs are not highly paid which means they are projects for one person, not teams. The “do it yourself” mentality works fine for some freelancers, but for most of us our work is better when we share, ask questions, and collaborate.

Unlike the “office”, there are no collaborators close by — the person next to you in the cafe is a project manager, not a fellow writer. You go it alone on that shitty third draft.

That’s where I was at a few weeks ago. On the surface it must have looked serene: I was at my favorite table in my neighborhood restaurant with a banh mi croissant (amazing by the way) and onto my third cup of coffee. Oh, and no boss. But below the surface I was frustrated and my motivation was plummeting.

I was struggling to get a communications strategy into shape before sending it to the client. It’s difficult work to get right. I had boiled days of work down to a few thousand words. They weren’t good — I had hit a wall.

I finished my sandwich, left my coffee, and jumped on the subway and headed to a friend’s house. I needed to reset my brain by closing my laptop, stretching my legs, and just watching people go about their day.

Work away from the office long enough and the some of the same problems reemerge in a different form. Your surroundings can become too familiar and too comfortable — they can distract rather than inspire.

Freelancers and remote workers do have one advantage — we can work anywhere. My neighborhood restaurant — as good as the table, food, and coffee were — wasn’t working for me. Working at my friend’s house eight subway stops away was the change I needed to drag myself out of the rut. I saw my work with fresh eyes and saw what I needed to fix. Three hours later the client had a draft strategy in their inbox and my evening was free.

It’s critical that remote workers find ways to work with other people. They keep you honest, have answers to your questions, and share random YouTube videos when you need a break.

I’m excited SpareChair is here. I’ll still do most of my work in local cafes, restaurants, and the library, but I love that I will have access to hundreds of new spaces in the city. I love that I will find people to collaborate with. Freelancing just became a little bit easier.

Jeremy is a freelance communications consultant based in Brooklyn, but working as a digital nomad for clients around the globe. Read more of his stuff and get in touchhere.